Third Time's The Charm
by LouisaM
Summary: For five years, Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy been utterly indifferent towards each other, but a late-night chance encounter outside the Room of Requirement changes all that. Sometimes the Room gives you what you need, not what you want...
1. Chapter 1

Rose Weasley was seriously annoyed, and getting more so every minute.

She looked up from the books and papers strewn across the library table where she was trying to work on an very complicated essay on Wolfsbane Potion, and glared at the object of her annoyance. He sat at a table three spaces away, the surface in front of him also covered in parchment and books, his fair hair almost glowing in the dim library lights ... and completely oblivious of her irritation. In fact, Scorpius Malfoy was currently leafing through a Potions textbook, tapping the feather of his quill lightly on his chin, and looking utterly engrossed in his reading.

Rose stared back down again at her parchment. She picked up her quill and dipped it in ink, preparing to write, when the stifled giggling began once more. She gritted her teeth and glared over at Malfoy again. This time, however, there was a reaction from him – he too, was glancing into the stacks behind him. Without even looking, Rose knew exactly who was there – a collection of girls she had privately named the Gaggle. About six of them, ranging from second through to fifth year girls, there were usually several to be found wherever Malfoy was, giggling and trying to get his attention.

_Bloody, bloody Malfoy, _thought Rose in irritation. _And look at him, Mr Suave. Acting all cool, just to get all the girls even more fired up._

The infuriating git didn't seem to notice her heated stare, and clearly the whispering going on behind him didn't seem to bother him too much, for he simply turned back to his work. Rose knew exactly how much work Malfoy had to do because they were doing the same NEWT classes. Both she and Malfoy had received eleven Outstanding OWLS in the previous year, and both were taking the same NEWT classes – Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Transfiguration, and Herbology. She barely had time to breathe with all the homework, and was struggling to fit in her Prefect Duties too. Which is why she had found this quiet and hidden corner of the Library to work – for some peace and quiet.

And yes, Rose was also hiding – like a scared little Niffler – from her family. The Great Weasley-Potter Clan, who kept tracking her down and getting her to help with homework, or check their essays, or hand over her notes from the previous year. She was exhausted, and tired of it all, and much as she loved the lot of them, right now she thought she hated them too.

Her ruminations were interrupted by another burst of whispering from the stacks, and that was it – she'd had enough.

She grabbed her bag and started to shove books and papers into it with gusto, not caring how much noise she made. Glancing up, she saw a startled Malfoy staring at her in amazement, mouth open. Rose was not known for making a scene, but tonight she was tired and irritable, still had another foot of essay to complete, and frankly didn't give a damn what anyone thought of her. Sweeping her bag onto her shoulder, she strode away, giving Malfoy a glare that her mother would have been proud of.

Rose was halfway to the Library doors when she heard a loud whisper coming from behind her.

"Weasley! WEASLEY! Wait, damn it!"

She looked over her shoulder and found Malfoy walking fast behind her as he crammed his last books into his haversack.

"Oh, _what_, Malfoy?" she snapped, turning back around and heading for the doors. She banged out of them, ignoring the shocked expression of Madame Pince, who had nodded off at the main desk and was now thoroughly vertical with surprise.

Malfoy grabbed her arm a few feet into the corridor. "Will you stop, please?"

Sighing exaggeratedly, Rose stopped and turned to him, arms folded across her chest. "WHAT, Malfoy? I don't have time for this, whatever it is."

He set his jaw and stared her down as he too folded his arms.

"What was _that_ for?"

"What was WHAT for, Malfoy? Seriously, have you been hit by a Babbling Charm?"

"No, I meant that filthy look you shot me as you left. What did _I_ do?"

"It's not what _you_ did, it's what your little fan club keeps doing. Following you around, giggling, disturbing my peace ... they're driving me nuts, Malfoy, and you need to do something about it."

Hefting her bag again, Rose started off down the corridor, and was a few strides away when she realised she'd left Malfoy behind. Swinging around, she opened her mouth to start again when she noticed the look on his face.

Oh great. Clearly, he was going with Complete Bafflement.

"Listen, Malfoy – this 'I've no idea what you're talking about" act is _not_ going to work with me," she hissed. "I am not about to stroke your ego by explaining myself and looking like a fool. You know _exactly_ what this is about."

Shaking his head, he glared at her through slitted eyes. "Weasley, clearly you've been spending too much time working and your tiny mind is fried," he spat back, colour rising in his face. "What _fan club_?"

"Those moronic fools that follow you everywhere!" Rose shouted at him, waving her arms about in frustration. "That bunch of giggling twits! Why don't you just snog a few of them and be done with it – I'm sure they'd be delighted to oblige you, and then they would SHUT UP for once! You're always working where I am, and they're always there too, distracting me, and I just do not have the time anymore!"

Malfoy appeared speechless, his mouth working silently while his face became redder and redder.

When he did speak, his voice was very soft. "Weasley, seriously – I have no idea what you are talking about. I've never, I – uh – I don't even know them!"

And finally Rose comprehended that he was truly embarrassed, and her hand came to her mouth.

How was it that this boy, this really, _really _good-looking boy, had so little self-awareness that he didn't know the effect he had on the girls around him? Over six foot tall, blond, and leanly muscled from playing Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team, Captain of the side to boot, clever and well-spoken. Rose had always assumed his quietness came from a superiority complex and snobbishness (yes, she had read her History of Magic textbook and knew all about Lucius and Draco Malfoy), so she'd kept clear apart from their occasional academic sparring in class.

Could she have been wrong – could Scorpius Malfoy just be really, really shy?

"I just... er, I just thought you liked all their attention," Rose stammered.

"_What_ attention? I don't know why they're there – they just _are_, all the time, and... " Sudden comprehension dawned on Malfoy's refined features, and he went so red he looked like he'd just taken a double dose of Pepperup Potion. "Oh Great Godric, please don't tell me they're trying to ..." Overcome, he stuttered to a halt and stared fixedly at his shoes.

"Oh crap," said Rose in muffled tones as she covered her mouth in horror at her gaffe. "I'm sorry, Malfoy – I thought you were playing it loose and cool with them to keep them interested."

He looked her in incomprehension. "Weasley, you've known me for five years. Do I look like the loose and cool type to you?"

"Well, actually..." and over his shoulder, through the glass insets in the Library doors, she spotted the Gaggle on its way out and grinned. "Actually, you'd better duck, Malfoy, because they're heading this way now and if they see you ... well, let's just say that Annie Fairweather is so keen she'll trip you up and be underneath you by the time you land."

Rose just had time to think _oh yes, there are the famous Seeker reflexes I've heard so much about_ before Malfoy, with a look of horror back at the Library, grabbed her hand and bolted off down the corridor, pulling her behind him. It was a good thing she was tall (taking after her father – her mother was a midget) because she was able to just about keep up with him with her long legs stretching as far as they could.

Some minutes later, Malfoy cruised to a stop on the seventh floor, having taken such a convoluted route Rose wasn't entirely sure where she was. Pulling her hand out of his, she dumped her bag on the floor and bent over to put her hands on her knees. panting and gasping for breath. To her irritation, Malfoy wasn't even breathing hard.

"I think we lost them – what do you think?" he said peering into the gloom down the corridor.

Rose finally managed to get her breath back and stood up straight, pulling her deteriorating red ponytail out of its confines and aggressively tying it back again with the elastic. "No, what you've lost is your mind!" she gasped. "That's just going to get them going – Merlin help you the next time you want to study in the Library. They'll hunt you like a rabid dog."

With a sigh, Malfoy slid down against the wall, crossing his arms across his raised knees and resting his head on it. "I'm so bloody tired, and I really needed to finish that Wolfbane essay tonight," he said, his voice muffled.

Rose sat next to him, rubbing her eyes. "Me too," she said. "I've got patrols for the next three nights in a row. I swapped with Al because he's got Quidditch tryouts... Oh right, so do you, I suppose?"

"Yeah. I have to replace half my team, which should be challenging. At least Potter has a bunch of Quidditch-crazy housemates who are dying to try out – I have to bribe people to give it a go. Ravenclaws are too cerebral for their own good sometimes."

Rose snorted. "Yes, but most of our lot are relatives, so Albus has to be careful in case he's accused of nepotism."

Malfoy raised his head and looked at her curiously. "Are you the only Weasley that doesn't play?"

"Oh, I play, but only at home or in my spare time. And I have got absolutely no spare time this year at all. Albus and James have been nagging me for years to try out for Keeper, but there are far more important things."

Malfoy leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "Like grades?"

Rose sat upright and glared at him. "Yes, like grades, Malfoy! And don't tell me they don't matter to you either, because you work at yours as much as I do! I've seen you in the Library at all hours too."

"Stand down, Weasley," said Malfoy, raising his eyebrow. "At ease. I'm not taking the mickey. It's just that Quidditch is the only thing where I can just _be_, and not think, and I don't know why you don't try it if you're as good... as you say you are."

He turned his head to her and suddenly grinned, something he did rarely, and it transformed his serious face. Rose stared at the dimple in his left cheek (_how have I never seen that before?_) and noticed that his eyes had lit up with amusement_. Blue, not grey like his father's. And so much warmer..._

Rose found herself helplessly smiling back at him, and then caught herself doing it and tried to turn it into a frown. _No, no, oh no – you are not going to become one of his fans. Get a grip, Rose._ With an effort, she looked away and stared at the tapestry opposite, which featured a rather repugnant scene of a fat man teaching tutu-clad trolls to dance.

"Well, that's one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen," she said, indicating the tapestry.

Malfoy contemplated the artwork. "Clearly, you don't share a dorm with Lysander Scamander and have seen him cutting his toenails, and then saving the clippings in a jar," he said dryly.

Rose pulled a disgusted face, and then started giggling.

"Apparently," continued Malfoy, starting to laugh himself, "your toenails contain your magical power source, and if you leave them lying around, the Wrackspurts will use them to insert themselves into your brain."

"Well," snorted Rose, "that's not as revolting as James. Albus says he keeps forgetting to put his underwear in the laundry basket and so he's come up with a plan to get four uses out of each pair of underpants – normal, inside-out, back-to-front, and inside-out-back-to-front."

Their laughter echoed around the corridor, and after a few seconds they both subsided into silence.

Rose shot him a final glance and then started to get to her feet. "Well, fun as this has been, I need to go find a place to finish that essay," she said with a sigh.

Malfoy stood up fluidly and offered her his hand. She took it and stood, letting go quickly. "Me too. Any ideas for quiet places to work?" he said.

"I don't know – I've even tried the Potions dungeon and apart from nearly getting hypothermia, Roxanne still managed to track me down," said Rose, frowning.

"This is a huge castle, there has to be a place somewhere," said Malfoy. "Nothing big, just somewhere where we can't be found... "

Rose stared at him, dumbfounded by the use of the word "we". She felt a blush starting (one of the characteristics that she had inherited from her adored father that she could have easily done without) and started babbling to cover. "Definitely needs to be warm. Scotland's climate sucks."

"Nine months of winter, and three months of bloody awful weather!" said Malfoy with a grin.

Rose looked at him again, smiling back despite herself. Malfoy actually had a sense of humour, which startled her a bit. Her father's words to her in first year at King's Cross ("don't get too friendly with him, Rosie") had always been there at the back of her mind, so she'd steered clear without being rude and just avoided any personal contact with him. And here he was in front of her, not what she expected and certainly not how she pictured a Malfoy to be.

The sound of a low roar, a grinding of stone against stone, interrupted her thoughts and she jumped back from the wall, startled. Before their eyes, a simple wooden door appeared, engraved with a lion and an eagle, and with a brass door handle.

Rose looked quizzically at Malfoy, who shrugged. "I didn't do it," he said. He leaned closer to inspect the door. "Never seen this before. You?"

Rose shook her head. "Interesting that it's got our house emblems on it, don't you think?"

"Yeah – who knows what's in there," said Malfoy, then turned to grin at her. The Weasley blush threatened to overcome her, so she grasped the door handle to cover her confusion.

"Stand back, Ravenclaw!" said Rose cheekily. "I'm the brave Gryffindor here, so I might as well take a look if you're too scared, right?" She pushed the door open to the sound of Malfoy scoffing.

They stepped inside a round, cosy room. A fire was blazing in the fireplace, sending out welcome warmth to two squishy leather armchairs positioned in front of it, with a low table between them. Just behind the armchairs were two desks pushed together, so they were facing each other, each with a comfortable-looking upright chair and a desk lamp. At the back of the room were several alcoves filled with books, and one stocked with cauldrons of various sizes and what looked like potions ingredients.

Rose looked at Malfoy, eyebrows raised in surprise. And then it hit her at the same time as him as they stared at each other. "The Room of Requirement!" they said together.

"I've heard about it but I've never been able to get it to open before," said Malfoy, nodding in approval.

"Me neither," said Rose, putting her bag on one of the tables and heading towards the back to check out the books. "Look at this – it's all the prescribed reading for all our subjects. We'll only have to go to the Library for the Restricted Section!"

Malfoy came up behind her and reached past her to pull down one of the heftier tomes. As he did so, he brushed her shoulder and she got a whiff of a really pleasing scent – woodsy and clean. She closed her eyes to breathe it in, and then realised what she was doing and opened them quickly again. Fortunately, Malfoy was already browsing through his book and hadn't noticed her momentary lapse.

_What are you doing?_ Rose berated herself. _You've never behaved like this around Malfoy... or anyone for that matter. Stop it right now, for Merlin's sake. He'll start thinking you're a blithering idiot like the rest of those twerps that follow him around._

Taking a deep breath, she reached for a random book and then walked over to a desk. Distractedly, Malfoy followed her, still reading, before taking up the seat at the opposite table.

That night, Rose got more work done in the space of a few hours than she had managed in a long time. Speaking frequently to compare notes and share new information, the two of them had completed the essay on Wolfsbane Potion that was due in a few days, plus started on the Herbology research that was due in a week. After a few hours work, they retired to the armchairs in front of the fire, relaxing and putting their feet up on the footstools that had somehow appeared in front of them.

"So, _Weasley_, now that we've found this spot, how are you planning to explain your evening absences to the rest of your clan?" asked Malfoy lazily, sliding further down in the chair and stretching his legs out to an impossible length. "And how will they feel when they know you have me for a study partner?"

"It's none of their business, _Malfoy_," said Rose pointedly. "Anyway, they don't have an issue with you. Wait – why do you think they would have a problem with you?" She sat up straight and glared over at him.

Malfoy sighed and glanced over at her. "Well, it's no secret that our parents don't like each other," he said carefully. "I must say, I've always been on my guard around you Weasleys and Potters, just in case someone felt the need to even some old scores. That said," he amended hurriedly at the sight of her expression, "apart from the exploding bludger affair in third year thanks to James Potter..."

Rose rolled her eyes and butted right in. "Ok, so excluding James – who pulls pranks on _everyone_, not just you – what other problems have you had with us?"

"None, I suppose, except that none of you have ever really spoken to me except in passing. Oh, except for Albus, and all we really talk about is the Quidditch season. He's a good guy."

"I could say the same to you. Tonight is the first time you've ever said anything more to me than 'pass the boomslang skin'."

"Fair enough." He turned his head and looked directly at her, a half smile on his face, and a little knot of tension formed in her stomach. "So since we're going to be spending a lot more time together... " and the knot of tension doubled in size, "how about we resort to 'Scorpius' and 'Rose'?"

"Sounds reasonable," said Rose firmly, to disguise the slight tremor in her voice. He was watching her closely, and – was it her imagination? Did his eyes flick down to her mouth, just for a millisecond? She decided she was being ridiculous. Scorpius Malfoy was interested in what she could do with her brains, not snogging her. Even if she had the slightest inkling as to what type of girl he would be interested in, she was fairly sure she wasn't it. Taking the bull by the horns, she leaned across the space with her right hand. "Friends, then?"

Scorpius hesitated for a second and then stretched over, taking her hand and shaking it gently. He held on for a second longer than was necessary, squeezing her fingers gently. "Friends."

And, by Merlin's baggy underwear, Rose was damned if she didn't feel her heart rate pick up noticeably and feel her breath hitch in her chest. Her hand tingled warmly as soon as she let go, and she hurriedly looked away from his warm gaze to stare into the fire, hoping the firelight would disguise the flush she felt rising into her cheeks.

Oh, bloody hell. This was going to be harder than it seemed.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to all those who reviewed - your compliments and criticisms are much appreciated! To answer a question I got from a few folk, this is definitely not a one-shot. I have seven chapters in total that will be uploaded in due course._

_Onward! ~ LouisaM_

* * *

><p>The next morning, Rose went down to breakfast feeling refreshed. Thanks to the work she and Scorpius had done together, the load had definitely diminished and she had gotten a few more hours sleep than normal.<p>

She walked into the Great Hall, which was about two thirds full and noisy as usual. Helplessly, her eyes went to the Ravenclaw table and immediately met a pair of blue eyes that were watching her closely. She raised her hand slightly in recognition, and was rewarded immediately by a smile that made her toes curl. Feeling the tell-tale Weasley blush starting to creep up her neck, she flashed a grin back and headed over to the Gryffindor table.

"Where were you last night, missy?" said Fred Weasley, patting the seat next to him with a paternal air. "I was looking everywhere for you – I needed help with my Transfiguration assignment."

"I was studying, Fred, and you can drop that 'missy' crap – I'm two years older than you," snapped Rose. "And I'm not a bloody walking knowledge bank – go look up what you need in the Library. Hugo, stop eating sugar out of that bowl – you're not five." Her younger brother simply stuck out his sugar-encrusted tongue at her and shovelled in another spoonful. He'd definitely inherited his sweet tooth from their father.

"Well, you weren't in the Library, because I was also looking for you," piped up Albus from the space opposite her. "Were you studying in your room?"

"No, she wasn't," said Lily from the seat next to Fred. "I couldn't find her either. Where were you, Rose?"

Yes, this was exactly why she needed a private place to study. Much as she adored her family, they hounded her half to death and frankly, she was sick of it. It was definitely time to work on what Rose needed, and that did not include being a ready-made homework repository for the rest of her lazy relatives.

Ignoring them all, she piled some scrambled egg on toast and added a slice or two of bacon. Glancing up, she found Scorpius watching her from across the room and their eyes locked. He winked at her, and then looked to his left in irritation as Mark Goldstein, who was grinning broadly and also staring at Rose, elbowed him in the ribs.

"ROSE!" stage-whispered an eagle-eyed Lily. "Scorpius Malfoy is watching you! Oh Merlin, he is so _hot_! How can you just sit there eating like that? Where do you know him? How do ..."

James Potter stared at his baby sister in horror. "Nuh uh, Lily, you did _not_ say that. Did you just call Malfoy hot?"

"Yes indeedy," said Lily, unperturbed and smiling evilly. "And I've got a few more words about him you might like. Sexy. Gorgeous. Sssssnoggable..." Not for the first time, Rose wondered why Lily hadn't been sorted into Slytherin.

Appalled, James clamped his hands over his ears. "La, la, la – can't hear you!" he sang loudly.

"Shut, it James. You're not my dad," said Lily, undeterred. "You're not even a halfway decent older brother. Seriously, Rose, he's still ogling you!"

"_Lily_," said Rose with restraint and through gritted teeth, "stop being ridiculous. Scorpius and I are in the same year and do all the same NEWT classes, so of course we know each other. And he is not _ogling_ me. Just get on with your breakfast, will you?" She loaded her fork and took a bite of scrambled egg, fighting the temptation to look over at Ravenclaw again. And yet, some sixth sense told her that Scorpius _was_ still watching her, and the pull to stare right back was becoming almost irresistible. If this carried on, she'd have to make sure that she ate with her back to him in future.

To keep her wayward self in check, Rose pulled her Transfiguration notes from her bag and tried to read while she ate. Not that it was easy – Lily kept badgering her about Scorpius, and Fred and James had their heads together and were cackling evilly, no doubt plotting their newest prank.

Albus leaned over and spoke quietly. "Rosie? Is there something going on with you and Malfoy? 'Cause Lily's not imagining it, he _is_ watching you."

Rose dropped her notes on the table with an exasperated huff. "Al, do I really have to go through this with you too? Anyway, what's wrong with Scorpius?"

Albus raised one eyebrow. "_Scorpius_, eh?" He winced when she punched his arm, blushing furiously. "Ow, Rosie. Only kidding – there's nothing wrong with him. I actually quite like him – he's a really good Quidditch player and he's really funny when you get to know him. But if he's bothering you, I can ... er, have a word?"

"We're just study partners, OK?" confessed Rose quietly. "It makes sense, you know? We're doing the same subjects – three more than you, I might point out – and we thought it would be a good idea to pool resources."

Al regarded her with those cool green eyes, so like his father's. Uncle Harry could always see right through her, and she fervently hoped Al hadn't inherited the same talent.

"As long as it's just _resources_ you're pooling," Al sniggered, reminding her that he was, after all, just her immature 16-year old cousin, and not the Saviour of the Wizarding World.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" snapped Rose. Taking a final gulp of her juice, and shoving her notes in her bag, she stood up.

"Going so soon? And just when the conversation was getting interesting," called Lily breezily. Unable to resist, Rose glanced over at Scorpius, only to see him getting up and hefting his bag to his shoulder. He looked straight at her, then with a tilt of his head indicated the doors.

With a huge rush of relief, Rose nodded back and then stepped over the bench, getting ready to leave.

"Ooo, that was definitely something!" squealed Lily, beside herself with excitement. "You've got a secret sign-language! What _have_ you been doing with Scorpius Malfoy, Rose? Tell me, please, come on..."

Rose rolled her eyes and strode towards the door. Enough was enough.

Now that he had noticed her – properly – for the first time, Scorpius Malfoy was finding it very hard to _stop_ noticing Rose Weasley. She'd always been attractive – well, once she'd grown out of that gawky gangliness in second year. Being so tall, it had been an awkward phase for her, but once she'd filled out a bit (or a lot, and in all the right places) and grown her curly red hair long, she was easily one of the prettiest girls in the school.

Like many of his more vocal house-mates, Scorpius himself had been appreciative of these changes, but had always stayed away. His father had warned him before his first year that he might not get too warm a welcome from the Potter-Weasley clan, and although they'd never given him a tough time, he'd made it his business not to give them a reason to.

Frankly, girls scared the holy crap out of him. He wasn't completely oblivious of the strange impact he seemed to have on them, but he certainly couldn't understand it. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he saw an average-looking bloke, with most of his father's features and his mother's eyes, and a dimple in his cheek that was all his own. Sure, he wasn't a troll, but he wasn't a stud either. Why some of the crazy girls in this school chose to follow him around was a total mystery to him. Any time he'd ever tried to speak to any of them, they had dissolved into giggles ... And he'd rather face a family of Acromantula than talk to a giggly girl.

Rose, it had transpired the previous night, was completely different. He supposed it was as a result of being surrounded by hordes of male relatives, or possibly that she didn't think he was attractive (which was more likely), but she treated him completely normally. It was a like breath of fresh air.

He watched covertly now as Rose flicked her red ponytail over one shoulder and frowned in concentration at the notes she was reading, and he groaned to himself. He'd read somewhere that on average, teenage boys had a sexual thought every fifty seconds, and today he wondered who the slacker was who was skewing the results. After parting from Rose the previous night, he'd gone to bed and had an incredibly vivid dream involving a desk in the Restricted Section, a tub of whipped cream, and Rose – wearing only her Gryffindor tie, a seductive vanilla perfume and a sexy smile. The lengthy and freezing shower he'd taken when he woke up had solved some issues (and possibly given him frostbite on his nether bits), but the problem had only returned the minute he saw her walk into the dining hall at breakfast.

Without her realising it, Scorpius had watched her carefully last night while they were studying in the Room of Requirement. He found that her features were even, with a small uptilted nose and determined chin, clear blue eyes that were highlighted with thick dark lashes, and a sprinkling of light freckles across her nose. Her hair was fantastic – curly and long, it was caught up into a messy ponytail that lay down her back in a barely-controlled wave of dark red.

Her mannerisms had him captivated, and watching her all day in class had made him notice a few more. Rose was nothing if not completely passionate about everything she did, and her eyes would light up in a fire of enthusiasm that made her glow. She was feisty and could swear like an Auror (he had been both shocked and impressed by the string of four-letter words he heard her mutter under her breath when she dropped her full book bag on her foot), but could be completely ladylike at the same time. The way she frowned slightly and nibbled on her full, pink lower lip when concentrating was completely distracting, and Scorpius knew he was going to have to double-time it to take down notes in class because he was watching her instead of writing.

And yet, he found her easy to talk to, the first girl that he'd been able to laugh and joke with without feeling like a fool. He was determined not to screw this up by being a hormonal arsehole. Scorpius found that apart from admiring her mad brainiac skills, he genuinely liked her. She'd been really friendly towards him, and he was going to replay that kindness by not trying to grab her at the first opportunity.

Scorpius should have taken Divination, because if he had, he would foreseen a lot more cold showers in his very near future.

Hogwarts was a stinking cauldron of gossip and innuendo, Rose thought viciously as she stomped into her room after dinner that night. Just because she and Scorpius had walked to a few classes together, people were now whispering about them whenever they were seen together.

Rose flopped onto her bed and stared grimly at the ceiling, arms behind her head. Just fan-bloody-tastic. Next thing, there would be an "anonymous tip" to the _Daily Prophet_ that she and the Malfoy boy were caught having deviant sex in a broom closet, and the Howlers from her parents would be on their way in squadrons.

The door flew open with a bang and Beth Macmillan bounced in. She and Rose had been best friends since their first year when they had bonded over a mutual lack of Valentine's Cards on that particular fourteenth of February, and comforted themselves by sharing a deluxe slab of Honeydukes Best.

"I am going to kill you, Rose Weasley!" she announced dramatically, flinging herself across the foot of Rose's bed and pushing her blonde curls out of her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you've been shagging Scorpius Malfoy in the Quidditch locker rooms? The whole school is buzzing about it, and why am I the last to know?"

Rose shot up indignantly. "Oh, _Avada_ me now, won't you? Beth, don't tell me you actually believe this garbage? You know if I was even _snogging_ anyone you'd be the first to know and anyway..."

Beth burst out laughing. "Relax, Rose, I know you're not shagging Malfoy, for Merlin's sake," she giggled. "I mean seriously, you've never exchanged more than two words with him your whole life." She sat up and looked at Rose, who had gone very quiet and was studying her fingernails with more interest than they deserved. "Or have you? Rosie... what's going on here?"

Looking up at her friend, Rose started talking in a rush. "It's not what you think, we're just friends, we bumped into each other last night and decided to become study partners and that's all there is to it..." Deep breath.

"Oh yes, so if that's all there is to it, why are you so embarrassed by all this? Because honestly, Rosie, if you did snog him I'd be so proud of you – that boy is completely and utterly beautiful and most of the female population of this school wants to have a go-round with him!"

"I know what he looks like, Beth, I'd have to be dead not to notice! But seriously, we're just study partners. And anyway, there's this weird, bad blood between our families, so I'm not even sure how my parents are going to take _this_ if they find out."

Beth rolled over and look at Rose shrewdly. "You like him," she stated baldly.

"Of course I like him, he's actually a really nice guy."

"Hot, too."

"Mmhmm... no wait, you're trying to put words in my mouth! Honestly, Beth, you were Sorted into the wrong house." Rose dropped back onto the bed and pulled a pillow over her face.

"That's enough about me ... your life is far more interesting!" Beth laughed.

Rose removed the pillow and sat up. "What's everyone saying, then?" she said curiously.

"Well, for starters, you need to understand the _context_, " said Beth coyly. She was currently doing Muggle Literature in Muggle Studies and was using every opportunity to toss in some terms she was learning. "You two have barely acknowledged each other for over five years, and now suddenly you're all cosy? It's very _Romeo and Juliet_, you know – soooo romantic! So yes, everyone has noticed that you're suddenly talking, and walking together, and I for one have _definitely_ noticed that he watches you ALL THE TIME, Rose!"

"Overactive imagination, Beth, that's what you've got," spluttered Rose, when she'd found her voice after a violent coughing spell. "He is _not_ watching me. Have you been talking to Lily?"

"Uh, huh. That's why he didn't take his eyes of you once during lunch today, and he actually shifted seats down the Ravenclaw table so he could get an clear view of you during dinner!"

Rose closed her eyes and groaned, pressing her hands to her hot forehead. She might have guessed that things would go this way if she started talking to Scorpius, but if even her best friend was all caught up in this crap, she was going to have a rough road ahead.

"I must say, it's nice to see him finally interested in someone," continued Beth, ignoring Rose's scoffing. "I thought he might be gay, the way he only hangs around the guys on his Quidditch team."

Infectious laughter bubbled up out of Rose, and within seconds Beth was laughing too. "Trust me, he's not gay," managed Rose. "He's just seriously shy – no, honestly, Beth, stop laughing!"

"It's just that I don't get how a boy who looks like that doesn't take advantage of all the queuing girls," said Beth, wiping her eyes. "Hell, I'm in that queue myself. Ironic, isn't it – the only girl who hasn't been panting after him for all these years is the one that ends up -" she made quotation marks with her fingers "- _studying_ with him."

Rose shook her head, and got to her feet, reaching for her cloak. "You're hopeless," she said. "I was counting on you to be sensible, but clearly that's not the case. I'm off – I've got patrol tonight. What a pity, too ... I was looking forward to a session of good, _hard_ studying with Scorpius." And with that, she winked at her friend and waltzed out the door. Beth watched her go, mouth open.

Rose 1, Beth 0. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.


	3. Chapter 3

The next time Rose and Scorpius met in the Room of Requirement, it was three nights later. It wasn't as if they hadn't seen each other – in fact the opposite had happened. They found themselves falling into step next to each other as they walked between classes, and by the second day were sitting together in all of them, much to her cousin' dismay. Albus was used to being able to copy Rose's notes all the time; for the first time in his schooling career he was now being forced to take them down for himself, and was suffering badly from writers' cramp.

Rose and Scorpius talked between classes about the Ravenclaw Quidditch trials ("not too bad, got one Chaser that has potential but needs some training"), about how much they enjoyed Herbology with Professor Longbottom ("I'm not allowed to call him Uncle Neville at school, but really, I adore him"), and argued over whether the treacle tart or pumpkin pies were better for dessert. The conversation flowed easily and endlessly, and there was always a topic of interest for both of them to discuss.

And much as he tried to control himself, Scorpius found himself utterly unable to stop touching her. The first time he'd helped her pick up her bag and slip the strap onto her shoulder, his fingers had brushed her hair and he was startled by how strong the urge was to pull it out its ponytail and run his fingers through it. He touched her hand to get her attention and occasionally took her elbow to help her up from her chair. Demure as always, Rose smiled her thanks at him and continued on as normal. _Friends_, Scorpius told himself firmly. _She just wants to be friends, so get yourself together and stop groping the girl._

And despite Scorpius's futile attempts at stop it, his dreams about her were getting more out of control and he sometimes couldn't look her in the eye in the mornings, knowing what terrible (_wonderful, fantastic, sexy)_ things his dream-self had been doing to fantasy-Rose the night before.

They arrived at the hidden entrance to the Room of Requirement at about the same time, both secretly looking forward to an evening alone together. The wall stayed stubbornly blank. They both stared at it.

"Oh bugger, now what?" asked Scorpius, dismayed.

Rose just grinned at him and dropped her bag. "I've been doing some research," she announced, as she loosened her tie and undid the top button of her shirt. Scorpius swallowed hard and concentrated on looking her dead in the eye. "I don't know why we didn't have to do this the other night, but what we have to do is walk backwards and forwards three times, thinking about what we really want the Room to give us, and the door will open."

_Oh no. No, no, no. Merlin, save me. Please don't let a massive bed appear, _prayed Scorpius desperately. He tried to clear his mind, and then nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt Rose take his hand.

"Come _on_, Scorpius," she said, and started marching determinedly down the hallway. _And I swear I'll be a good grandson and write to Grandmother Cissy twice a week with no complaints, if no shower stalls, locker rooms or the Prefect's bathroom appear, _Scorpius begged silently, mentally listing some of the venues of his most recent fantasy trysts with the girl who currently had his sweating hand tucked into hers.

After their third turn, a roaring of stone was heard and the familiar door appeared again. Scorpius eyed it with trepidation. Rose let go his hand and picked up her bag, smiling smugly. "Told you," she said. "Come on."

She swung the door open and went in, leaving Scorpius to trail in apprehensively behind her.

He heaved a sigh of relief. OK, so no satin-sheeted four-poster or whipped cream and honey in sight, but there were differences. Where there had been two desks facing each other, there was one large one with two chairs pulled up to it. And instead of two armchairs, there was only a sofa. He looked askance at Rose, who was looking perplexed.

"Weird," she muttered, taking it in. "Oh well, it's not as though we don't sit together in class anyway."

She dumped her bag on the right side of the table and took out her Herbology texts, sitting down and starting to shuffle papers. They'd discovered that with her being right-handed, and he left, sitting this way meant more desk space for them both. But to Scorpius' dismay, he found that this table wasn't quite as wide as the ones in the classrooms, and even if he squashed his chair as far over to the edge as he could, his outer thigh was pressed against Rose's.

_Relax, just relax_, he told himself sternly. _Look at her, it's not bugging her at all. Just get on with the homework and stop acting like a horny git._

_Oh God, I can feel the heat of his leg against mine, _thought Rose desperately as she tried to steady a slight tremble in her hand while writing out notes.

The last few days had been pure torture. Scorpius was completely sweet to her, helping her with her bag and to get out of her chair, and those platonic touches had done nothing less than to set her on fire. She knew he didn't think anything of it though – his expression always remained serene and he didn't seem to be at all distracted during class.

She was, by now, under no illusions that she was harbouring a serious crush on the boy. She was also under no illusions that he felt anything but friendship in return. He had a much warmer, kinder personality than she had given him credit for, and his sudden smiles were making her heart do flip-flops twenty times a day. But he clearly didn't think of her in any way other than a platonic friend, so Rose told herself firmly to stop being so pathetic, get a life and concentrate on the Herbology project in hand. After all, she'd rather have Scorpius as a friend, than go back to the indifference of before.

After a few hours of working, and squirming in delight inside every time Scorpius shifted in his seat and his leg rubbed against hers, Rose threw in the towel.

"OK, I think that's me for the night," she said with a yawn, rolling her shoulders and stretching her back.

"Me too," said Scorpius, tossing his quill on the table. He stood and left the table, going over to the sofa and collapsing on it with a contented sigh. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder at her.

"Come on, Rose," he said reassuringly, patting the seat next to him. "I won't bite."

Rose gulped and made her way shakily over to him, thinking that she'd actually like him to bite very much and wondering where she wanted him to start. He smiled and slung his arm casually across the back of the sofa as she sat down, and she felt gooseflesh break out across her neck where his forearm lightly brushed it. _Use your words, Rose, _she told herself. _You're good at that._

"So, we've been friends for a few days now and I still hardly know anything about you," she said breezily."So let's play a game – we ask each other questions to find out a bit more. OK?"

"OK," said Scorpius, sliding down a bit further into the sofa. "Me first. Favourite colour?"

"Blue. You?"

"Red. Your turn."

For a second, Rose thought he looked at her hair when he said "red", and then berated herself for her general patheticness.

"Favourite food?"

"Roast lamb with mint sauce. Yours?"

"Chicken pie, homemade like Grandma Weasley makes."

"Um – favourite subject?" asked Scorpius.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts," said Rose instantly.

"Me too. I do love a good hex."

Rose laughed, and there was a few second of silence. Scorpius stretched again and extended his legs to an impossible length in front of him.

"What do you want to do when you finish school?" asked Rose, starting to feel nervous for no apparent reason.

"Well, my dad wants me to go into his import-export business, but it's not my thing," yawned Scorpius, rumpling his hair over his eyes. "I'm going for Auror, or Magical Law. You?"

"Um... tossing up between Healer, and trying to get into the Unspeakables. But I'm surprised – you're not keen on professional Quidditch?"

"Nah, I'm not good enough."

"You are good enough!" protested Rose, forgetting herself and turning to sit crosslegged on the couch as she faced him. Mistake, mistake... now both her knees were touching his outer thigh. She leaned back a bit onto the arm of the sofa to get some distance, and then realised belatedly that it made the spaces between the buttons on her shirt gape open. She quickly tugged her shirt flat and tried to look casual. "Albus says you're one of the best at school, and you're the only other Seeker that terrifies him." _Oh Merlin. You're starting to act like one of the Gaggle, you idiot._

"Potter said that?" Scorpius glanced at her and then looked quickly away. She thought she saw his usually pale cheeks flush a bit, and attributed it to the compliment. "Well, that's kind of him, considering I've only gotten the Snitch before him a few times in the last five years. He's one hell of a flyer. Anyway, Grandfather would have a breakdown if I went for pro Quidditch. I can just hear him now: 'That's not a suitable job for a Malfoy'." He brightened a bit. "Actually, that would be excellent motivation to do it – it would piss the old bugger off completely."

"What's he like?" Rose asked curiously, leaning forward. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had been conspicuously absent from the public wizarding world for at least ten years, and Draco and Astoria were only seen very rarely.

Scorpius sighed and rumpled his hair up, making it fall sexily over one eye. "I can't stand him," he said frankly. "You'd think his experiences during the War would have wisened him up, but no, he's still a stuck-up old elitist."

"And your parents?"

"My Dad's not the most affectionate father – I think he can't help that, given his upbringing, but he does try. He loves to have a go at Grandfather sometimes – you should hear him. 'Don't forget that it was what you call a half-breed, a mudblood and a blood traitor that saved my life'." Scorpius mimicked his father's aristocratic drawl perfectly. "I love my Mother to bits. Even though she also comes from a pureblood family, she's got no hang-ups about that kind of crap, and we row in the same boat on that one. Magic's magic – doesn't matter where it comes from."

Rose melted. Any boy that would openly admit that he loved his mother had her vote from the get-go.

Scorpius glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Whatever you might have heard, my father doesn't hate your parents or the Potters. He's very clear that it was Harry Potter's sheer bravery that saved us, and we should all be grateful."

Dumbfounded, Rose just stared into the fire. This really wasn't what she expected at all – her Dad had always referred to Draco Malfoy as "the ferret," screwed his nose up in disgust whenever the Malfoy name was mentioned, and been horrified when Gryffindor had lost a match to Ravenclaw the previous year because Albus had "allowed mini-ferret to get the Snitch first".

"What're your parents like? And what's it like having _the_ Harry Potter for an uncle?"

Rose shrugged. "They're just Mum and Dad to me. I was nearly ten before I found out about them – I didn't realise that not everyone has parents who the world seems to know on sight. And Uncle Harry ... well, he's one of the nicest people I know. He's incredibly calm, which is good for Aunty Ginny, because she's a ball of fire, just like Lily."

"So, exactly how many of your horde are at Hogwarts at the moment? I've lost count."

Rose paused to think. "Well, there's Louis – he's in seventh year, Uncle Bill and Aunty Fleur's youngest," she said, counting them off on her fingers. "Victoire and Dominique have already left school. Then there's Molly and Lucy, Uncle Percy's twins – they're in second year. Fred and Roxanne are Uncle George's – fourth year and third year, and then there's me and Hugo, who's also in fourth year. James is in seventh, Albus is with us and Lily is in fourth with Hugo. So that's... oh Merlin, there's ten of us!"

"I thought there were a lot of redheads around," Scorpius said slyly. "It's like an epidemic."

"There's not that many!" Rose protested. "Just me, Lily, Molly, Lucy, Louis, Fred... oh OK, so there are a few. It's a family trait, like the way you look like your father!"

Scorpius stared into the fire, the smile slowly fading from his face. "Yeah, and that's been a bundle of laughs," he said slowly.

Rose looked at him, raising one eyebrow quizzically.

He sighed. "First year, I got the crap beaten out of me by Tony Nott, because I was put into Ravenclaw and not Slytherin. He was a massive sixth year, and he put me in the hospital wing for a week. Second year, Miles Abbott hexed me so hard I was unconscious for two days, just because I look like the picture of my dad in Hogwarts, a History and it gave him the creeps. Third year, the Beaters on the Hufflepuff team caught me practicing alone on the Quidditch pitch and hit every Bludger they had at me. Broke my nose and my cheekbone." He touched a small bump on the bridge of his nose.

"Oh my God, Scorpius – I had no idea!"

"It's OK. That was the last time I got seriously hurt, though, because I got bigger and I can duel pretty well now. I've just kept my head down and avoided as many people as possible, and school will be over soon and I can get the hell out of here and be who I want to be. Not just... a _Malfoy_."

Rose put a sympathetic hand over his and for a second, he didn't do anything. Then he took it and turned it over, lacing his fingers with hers.

Skin tingling, Rose leaned her chin into her other hand, resting her elbow on her knee. "I know a bit about expectations, though I've had nothing as horrible as that happen to me," she said, gazing into the fire. "Everyone thinks it must be so cool to be a child of one of the Golden Trio, but sometimes it's not that much fun, you know."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that we have to live in an Unplottable home, because of all the crazies that would show up on the doorstep all the time," said Rose. "Like the fact that everywhere we go, and I mean _everywhere_, there are people taking pictures and wanting autographs. And like the fact that you never know if people just want to be your friend because of who your parents are, not for you."

Scorpius looked at her steadily, stroking a small circle on her hand with his thumb. _I don't know if I want him to stop or carry on doing that... it feels brilliant._

"I know that doesn't sound so bad, but you end up not trusting people," said Rose matter-of-factly. "I don't have it as bad as Albus – he looks exactly like Uncle Harry, doesn't he? But I have people expecting me to be as smart as my mother, and as brave as my father, and play Quidditch, and be Head Girl one day and ... sometimes I want to run away from it all and just be me, too."

She couldn't look at him, but she could feel the weight of those blue eyes on her like a laser beam.

"I really like talking to you, Rose," he said unexpectedly. "I've never been able to talk to a girl like I can with you – it's so easy. I wish we'd made friends years ago."

_Friends_. There it was. Out in the open, and official, and her heart was sinking like a lead balloon with disappointment. Rose disentangled her fingers from Scorpius and stood, with a weak smile. "Yeah, me too," she said softly. "Listen, I'd better head out. Professor Longbottom's on the warpath about curfew these days and I don't have time for detentions right now." She moved over to the desk and started packing her things. _Don't let him see you cry, just don't, _she told herself firmly. _You are a Gryffindor. Be brave._

If she'd risked a look behind her as she left, she would have seen a very confused Scorpius watching her go, a frown on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you so much to everyone who has given me such marvellous reviews - I really appreciate it! Glad you're enjoying the story so far..._

* * *

><p>Scorpius arrived at breakfast the next morning in a decidedly foul mood. His nightly dream of Rose had returned, except in this one he chased after her, her vanilla scent taunting him, while he ran through a maze shouting for her and only catching glimpses of her pale limbs and red hair as she flitted just out of his reach. He woke frustrated and sweating, and not looking forward to the day at all.<p>

Then his best mate, Mark Goldstein, called him on it.

"Man, you've got it so badly, I'm actually starting to feel sorry for you," he told Scorpius as they stood shaving next to each other at adjacent basins in the bathroom. "You poor bastard."

Scorpius raised one eyebrow at him. "Huh?"

"Don't play dumb, I sleep in the bed next to you and I hear you mumbling her name all night," said Mark, with a dirty grin. "Of all people – I can't believe you've got a hard-on for the Gryffindor Princess – though I can't blame you," he added quickly, "she's as hot as all Hades. I certainly wouldn't kick her out of bed."

Scorpius leaned on the sides of the washbasin and stared down at the water. "Tell me about it, and she's not even in the least bit interested," he mumbled. "I just tried to hold her hand last night and she bolted out of there like her hair was on fire."

"Whoa," mused Mark, pulling the plug and splashing his face with cold water. "That bad, eh? I must say, I'm surprised – I thought she was seriously checking you out the other day in Potions. Remember when you leaned across her to stir the cauldron? Seriously, mate, she turned her mouth towards your neck and I thought she was going to give you a hickey there and then. She had eyes closed and she was biting her lip – damn, I wanted to grab her and snog her myself."

Scorpius snorted. "You'd snog anything in a skirt, so I'll take that with a pinch of salt," he scoffed, rubbing his face dry with his towel. "But I warn you, mate, you look at her like that one more time and best friend or not, I'll hex your lips off and stuff them in your earhole."

They'd known each other long enough for this threat to mean nothing, so Mark simply grinned at him and headed out the bathroom, chortling.

"So what, you think she's got 'just want to be friends' syndrome?" he asked, as they headed for their trunks to get fresh uniforms and robes for the day.

"Exactly that," snapped Scorpius. "And I really like her, Mark; I can actually talk to her, I don't turn into a blubbering moron like I do with other girls. She's clever and funny and a really good person, and the fact that she's so hot I want to rip her underwear off with my teeth every time I see her is a real problem. Seriously, I can't take many more cold showers – my junk is going to fall off."

"Well, I reckon you should just turn up the heat on her a bit and see how it goes," said Mark, his voice muffled as he disappeared under a Ravenclaw jumper. "Touch her more often – subtly though, don't try and cop a feel of her boobs or her arse or anything -" Scorpius rolled his eyes at this "- and I'll keep an eye on her and tell you what I think."

Scorpius pondered this. "Fine," he agreed shortly, pulling his tie tight with a jerk. "But try and be discreet, OK? I don't want her thinking you're a stalker."

"Are you kidding? You're talking to the king of smooth here," said Mark, before tripping gracefully over yesterday's discarded underpants on the floor and ending up face first in the laundry basket.

Muttering "_Mobilicorpus"_ under his breath, Scorpius tipped his friend right side up with a wave of his wand and wondered in how many possible ways this could go spectacularly wrong.

* * *

><p>Rose arrived at breakfast that morning in a decidedly foul mood. She hadn't slept much after leaving Scorpius – in fact, she'd spent most of the night alternating between holding in tears, letting go and having a good weep, and punching her pillow in sheer irritation at herself. When she did finally fall asleep, she had the first real sex dream of her life – with Scorpius Bloody Malfoy in the starring role, no less. In it, they were sprawled together on that sodding leather sofa in the Room of Requirement, naked to the waist, his hands and mouth doing evil (<em>breathtaking, jaw-dropping, thigh-clamping) <em>things to her breasts while she writhed beneath him in ecstasy and clawed marks down his muscled back with her nails.

She felt ill. She'd never been gripped by lust like this before and frankly, it was bloody terrible to know there wasn't a thing she could do about it. Scorpius just wanted to be her friend – he'd made that very clear, and if she wanted to stay his friend she needed to keep her cool.

Beth had taken one look at her when she returned from the showers, red-eyed, and put a sympathetic arm around her shoulders. "What's Scorpius done?"

"Nothing, that's the problem!" cried Rose, sinking onto the bed and putting her face in her hands. "He told me last night he just wants to be friends, and now I'm having dreams about him .. oh God, Beth, what am I going to do?"

"Are you sure? Because I'm telling you, Rosie, the last few days he's been looking like he's totally into you. I've been expecting to find you snogging in stairwells at any moment."

"Well, last night he said he liked talking to me, and that he wishes we'd made friends years ago," Rose said miserably. "Does that sound like something a guy would say if he wants to date you?"

"No, I think it's something an incredibly shy boy would say to a girl he really likes," said Beth bluntly. "God, Rose, he sounds like a gem. At least you didn't get what I got from Declan Finnegan last year after that snog by the lake: 'Want to see what I can do with my wand, darlin'?" She imitated Declan's broad Irish brogue to perfection, scowling at the memory. "What a pig – we'd been kissing for about three seconds and he was already trying to get his hand up my shirt."

Rose burst out laughing. "Oh, but that's Declan all over. He's a sweetheart, really, you just need to know when to slap him down." She'd known Declan all her life, and he was as full of crap as he was of Irish blarney.

"I did slap him – just not across the face," giggled Beth. "Remember, he walked funny for the rest of the day after that?"

For a second, Rose smiled at her friend, and then the brightness bled slowly out of her face and she felt tearful again. "I need to pull myself together – I'm never like this."

Beth gave her a sympathetic hug. "OK, you stick with me today, then," she said. "I'll look after you and keep the nasty boy away. I still think he's into you, though – I'm going to watch that lad like a hawk and then I'll tell you what I think."

"I trust you to be honest, Beth – good or bad, OK?"

"Hey, you were the one who told me how big my arse looked in those pink dress robes I wanted to get – thank Godric, or I would have bought the damn things and looked like the back of the Knight Bus. Of course I'll tell you the truth, Rosie – now let's do a bit of charmwork on those burning coals of eyes so you don't actually look like you've been crying all night, yeah?"

As Beth started waving her wand, performing some simple cosmetic charms, Rose thanked her lucky stars for a friend like this. Because, all told, she was pretty sure everything with Scorpius was about to go pear-shaped and she would need a shoulder to cry on.

* * *

><p>The one thing Scorpius Malfoy had never expected at Hogwarts was to be acquainted with the Potter-Weasley tribe. Their families' mutual enmity during the war was well documented, and his father had warned him that they might not be too keen to be friends with a Malfoy.<p>

So he was more than a little surprised to find himself being hailed by James Potter on arrival at breakfast that morning.

"Oi, Malfoy, get over here!" he yelled.

"This," muttered Scorpius, "cannot be good."

Mark looked sideways at him. "Want some backup?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup – I have a bad feeling about this."

The two of them walked apprehensively over to the Gryffindor table, where what looked like a heated family debate was taking place.

"You are the demon spawn of a Dementor and aThestral," shouted Fred dramatically, pointing a fork loaded with sausage at his cousin Louis. "I tell you, there is no _way_ that Wood will select Anderson for starter seeker."

There was a roar of combined dissent and approval from the mob collected around the latest _Prophet_ sports section, where a detailed diagram revealed the selectors' choices for the English Quidditch World Cup team.

"The stats say..." began Louis, taking off his spectacles and giving them a polish.

"Bugger the stats, look at the state of the Wasps! They're going further down the toilet every minute and ..."

Tuning this out, Scorpius turned to James. "And you need me for this happy family gathering for, what, exactly? Referee?"

"Good luck with that, mate," mumbled Albus, who was sitting calmly eating his breakfast in the middle of this utter chaos. "Only one who can manage that is my mum, and that's because these tossers are all terrified of her Bat-Bogey Hex."

"So what's all this about, then?" asked Scorpius, mystified.

"I," said James smugly, "have a pool going as to who is going to be selected for this year's starter Seeker position for England at the World Cup. I'm offering 2-1 on Mitchley, 5-1 on Anderson and 10-1 on O'Connor. You seem to know a bit about Quidditch – I heard you telling Thomas who you thought would make the trials, and bugger me if you weren't bang on the money. You in?"

Scorpius considered for a second. "Yeah, I'm in," he said, grinning. "Put me down for ten galleons on O'Connor."

"Good man!" said Albus, clapping him on the shoulder. "Take a pew – bacon?"

Flabbergasted, Scorpius sat next to him and took the proffered plate while Mark agreed to put five galleons on Mitchley. He parked himself on Scorpius's other side and also took a plate.

"So I gather you're also backing O'Connor," said Scorpius as he piled his plate with bacon and sausage.

"Yup," said Albus happily, "and mate, you and I are going to make a killing. He's got it for sure. Why did you choose him?"

"Because," said Scorpius under his breath, "apparently unlike your relatives, I actually read your mum's column in the _Prophet_ every week and she tipped O'Connor two editions ago as the one to pick. I can't believe your brother is offering those odds, considering your mother is usually always right."

Albus swallowed his toast, grinning. "Not sure he can actually even read, to be honest," he said.

Scorpius laughed and looked up, straight into the astounded blue eyes of one Rose Weasley.

* * *

><p>The last thing Rose expected to find at breakfast was Scorpius Malfoy, a Ravenclaw, sitting at the Gryffindor table, enjoying a plate of food and chatting amiably to Albus.<p>

Surprised didn't quite cover it. Shocked perhaps. Speechless – definitely.

" 'Lo, Rosie," said Albus around a mouthful of food, shifting over to make a space between himself and Scorpius. "Come and sit by me, my love, I have some questions for you about that dastardly Potions assignment."

Still searching for words, Rose chose rather to sit opposite him and stare. Beth plopped down next to her, and giggled at a wink from Mark.

"Morning, Rose," said Scorpius, smiling at her. "How did you sleep?"

"Er... fine, thanks," she said, looking from her cousin to the stray Ravenclaws. "No offense, Scorpius, but you appear to be at the wrong table."

"He's a guest of ours – don't be so rude, Rosie Posie," shouted James over Hugo's head, waving his betting scroll at her airily. "Now, how much can I put you down for in my little betting pool here?"

Rose looked at Scorpius, who was looking totally innocent. "Don't tell me they've suckered you into this one?" she said, starting to laugh. "I thought you had more sense than that."

"Don't worry, me and Scorpius here are going to make enough money to retire on, thanks to my idiot brother," said Albus, looking smug.

"Only if you put your money on O'Connor," said Rose, rapidly buttering a slice of toast and reaching for the marmalade. Both Scorpius and Albus stared at her in sheer admiration. "And no, James, I have no intention of giving you my hard-earned Galleons, so stop waving that parchment at me shove it where the sun doesn't shine."

"Smartest witch in the school," whispered Scorpius, and she felt herself going pink when he flashed that devastating dimple at her.

Further down the table, the conversation had turned to more normal matters. "So, bloody Greengrass threw two batwings into my potion yesterday and when it exploded, had the balls to say it was my fault his hair turned purple," grumbled James. "That's my fifth detention already this term – mum's going to do me in."

"He's been pulling shite that like on you all year, mate," said Declan Finnegan, joining in. "What, are you losing your touch? I thought you'd have gotten revenge by now."

"I've been trying to think of something really worthy though," said James. "I hate that git – he's been a complete tosser since first year." He caught sight of Scorpius, who was listening intently. "Sorry, Malfoy – he's your cousin, isn't he? Still a wanker, though."

"Potter, any of us with even a drop of pure blood running through our veins are related somehow – you're probably my sixth cousin four times removed, or something," said Scorpius thoughtfully. "Silas _is_ my cousin, but I agree with you – he's complete arsehole. He made my childhood a complete hell. His favourite pastime was levitating me headfirst down the toilet while he got it flushing repeatedly. He bloody nearly drowned me when I was ten."

"So, from your vast inside experience, what's the best way to get back at him? Got to be a good one, though – I want him to suffer extensively and for a long time."

"Well, he's quite vain – notice how he loves to strut around with his shirt off, showing off his manly hairy chest, whenever he can?" asked Scorpius with a snort of disdain. "Why don't you try _Depilator Spiralis_?"

"What does that do?" asked Rose, intrigued despite herself.

"It'll wax his hair off in a spiral pattern around his body," said Scorpius, grinning. "He'll look like a barber's pole in stripes of hair and pink skin, and it'll take about six months to grow back."

There was a stunned silence, and then there was a roar of delighted laughter from the crowd. "You, sir, are an evil genius!" howled James, slapping the table. "You can sit with us any time! Now, just show me the wand movement on that one, yeah?"

Scorpius winked at Rose, then turned to show James the correct incantation. She felt warm all over, and busied herself with finishing breakfast. Beside her, Beth was flirting easily with Mark Goldstein, and Albus was watching them with a curiously flat expression in his eyes.

Suddenly, Rose felt a foot press against hers under the table. She looked up, startled, into Scorpius' eyes. "You OK?" he whispered, reaching across to touch her hand. And just for a minute, she forgot where she was, and who surrounded her, and that this boy only wanted her for a friend, and she curled her cold fingers around his warm ones. "Yeah," she whispered, not breaking eye contact. "You?"

Scorpius appeared to have lost the power of speech. _Oh, God, friends – remember?_ thought Rose frantically, and was about to disentangle her fingers when he covered her hand with his other one. "I'm fine... great, actually," he managed, his voice sounding odd.

"Yeah," Rose whispered, mesmerised.

After a few seconds, Albus interrupted them. "Oi, you two – stop gazing at each other and get a shift on," he said, and although he wasn't grinning, the corners of his eyes were crinkled. "We're going to be late for Herbology."

Rose jumped like she'd been doused with _Aguamenti _and ripped her hand out of Scorpius's.

"You're right, let's go," she said hurriedly, rising to her feet and grabbing her bag. "Come on, Beth." And she marched out of the door, head held high, while Beth trailed behind her, smiling back at Mark.

By the time the end of lessons arrived, Rose was in such a state of nervous disrepair she was trembling. Even though Beth had been good to her word and stuck to Rose like glue, there were some classes they didn't share and Scorpius had parked himself next to her immediately. He had touched her at every opportunity, and while her logical head said it couldn't be because he fancied her, her romantic heart was swooning.

He sat so close to her in every class that his body heat was warming her from the outside in, and she found herself watching his slender fingers writing, and picturing what it would feel like to have them touching her. When he turned his head to whisper something, they were so close that he didn't have to move much towards her at all... unable to help herself, she'd leaned in and pressed her chest against his arm. That had caused a reaction – he'd looked at her, startled, and with a heat in his eyes that made the pit of her stomach burn.

"OK, so it's official – Scorpius Malfoy has a HUGE crush on you, Rosie!" squealed Beth, as she bounced cross-legged on the end of her friend's bed. Rose's head was warm, her cheeks were flaming and she kept breaking out in goosebumps – perhaps she was coming down with the 'flu?

"You think so?" she whispered tiredly, just wanting more than anything to close her strained eyes and take a nap. She was feeling emotionally drained and utterly exhausted, and her head was spinning.

"Are you kidding? He is _always_ touching and looking at you. When he tucked that loose strand of hair behind your ear in Potions today I nearly passed out myself. That was one of the sexiest things I have ever seen! Merlin, he is seriously gorgeous and completely into you, you lucky thing."

Rose shivered in remembered pleasure. The look in his eyes as he had tenderly pushed the hair back, and then – was she imagining it? He'd gently run his finger down her earlobe and an inch down her neck... Just remembering it made her feel hot all over.

Then she buried rolled over and buried her face in her hands. "He's saying one thing, and doing another," she groaned. "I'm totally confused, Beth! Thank God I don't have to face him tonight – he's got extra Quidditch practice because Ravenclaw's up against Slytherin this weekend. "

Beth nodded sagely. "Men – can't live with them, can't _Avada_ them," she intoned wisely, before bursting into giggles.


	5. Chapter 5

_It's official - I've got the nicest reviewers on the site! Thanks for your kind words._

_Two more chapters to go! ~ Louisam_

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><p>Quidditch, decided Scorpius, was possibly the best thing in the world to get rid of sexual frustration. There was nothing like hanging upside down off a broom, high in the air, going at what felt like a hundred miles per hour, to dampen one's ardour.<p>

He had definitely gotten to Rose that day, he knew it. He'd pretty much _caressed_ every exposed piece of skin he could find (_neck, earlobe, forearm_) and he had watched, entranced, as she flushed a becoming pink every time. When he'd tucked a loose strand of soft, curly hair behind her ear, she'd gazed up at him with her mouth slightly open, and then the tip of her tongue had slipped out and wet that pink, plump lower lip. He groaned at the memory – he'd never wanted to snog someone so much in his life. Then when she'd pressed her breast up against his arm, his trousers had tightened painfully and he'd looked deep into her eyes, wanting her to press even closer. She'd looked back at him with those innocent blue eyes, and then slowly eased away. That in itself was, he was sure, going to feature prominently in his dreams tonight.

Scorpius heard an ominous whistling and dived sharply just in time to avoid being thoroughly clobbered by a bludger, which had been sent his way by one of his Beaters, Lysander Scamander. The guy might be odd, but he had one hell of an arm on him.

"Nice one, Scamander – try and it save it for the Slytherins, yeah?" shouted Mark, who was a talented Chaser. "We don't want to kill our Captain before the big game." He flew over to Scorpius's side.

"Of course, it doesn't help that our dear Captain's head isn't exactly in the game, is it?" he said slyly.

Scorpius shot him a filthy look designed to shut him up, and then remembered belatedly that Mark didn't possess a sensitive bone in his body would therefore be oblivious.

"I'd say your head is somewhere in Gryffindor tower, finishing what you started today!"

"So what did you think?" Scorpius asked, trying for casual but dying to know what his friend thought. "Oi, Scamander – the Bludger went that way!"

"Oh, she's hot for you alright," said Mark matter-of-factly, as he lobbed the Quaffle at the new Chaser, Abby Butler. Performing a mid-air handbrake turn, she seized it and hurtled towards the goals, scoring effortlessly through the centre hoop, dark hair flying out behind her. "She seems a bit nervous though – not sure what that's all about, but since when have I ever attempted to understand the workings of the female mind?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. Mark was usually into female bodies, not minds, and had gotten himself into a lot of trouble that way. "So I'm not imagining it?"

"Not a chance," chortled Mark, laughing at the antics of the two Chasers below as they tried to forcibly remove the Quaffle from each other. "Hey, I like this new Chaser – she doesn't back down from a fight. Knock it off, you two – we're supposed to be on the same side!" And he sailed down to referee.

Scorpius finished the practice in a daze. After another half hour of drills, he shouted to his team to get themselves to dinner before it was over, and took a final quick spin around the pitch by himself, trying to calm his racing thoughts. Suddenly, he spotted a figure sitting in the stands, and recognised the ruffled dark hair and glint of spectacles. He flew over and dismounted his broom, walking up the stairs to where Albus Potter was sitting.

"Checking out the competition, Potter?" he asked, with a touch of heat. "_Our_ game's not for another month."

"Actually, I'm here to talk to you about something else," said Albus, looking at him square in the eye.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow, and went over to stand in front of him. "Yeah?"

Albus sat back and crossed his arms. "So, I gather that your aim in life right now is to get into my cousin's knickers, right?" he said, gazing out at the goal hoops.

For a second, Scorpius felt like he'd swallowed his own tongue. "What? NO!" he protested, once he'd gotten control of his voice again.

Albus looked sceptically at him, and said nothing.

"OK, Potter, she's gorgeous and I'm a normal sixteen year old male!" complained Scorpius, going redder than he'd ever been in his life. "But I'm not sure I'm comfortable having this conversation with you – are there more of your lot here, waiting to hex me into pixie dust?" He looked anxiously over his shoulder.

"Nope, just me," said Albus, stretching his legs out in front of him.

"So this is the 'big brother' talk, is it?"

"Yeah, you can take it as that," said Albus, fixing him with an eagle stare.

"I thought it would that would be James's job, since he's the oldest."

"James," declared Albus, "has his head so far up his own arse he's about to get a look at his tonsils. Nope, Rosie is my favourite cousin and my best friend, so I thought I'd just come and have a little chat to you."

"Don't ask me to declare my intentions, because I haven't got a sodding clue. She's all hot and cold on me – no idea what's going on inside her head at all. Girls are a mystery to me, and damn it, she's got me chasing my own tail. But Potter, I do actually _like_ her a lot too – and that, I can assure you, has nothing whatsoever to do with her knickers."

Again, Albus said nothing, just looking at him with that cool green stare.

"Do you think she's pretty?" he asked eventually, after an uncomfortable silence.

"Again, let me just state for the record that talking about this to you is making me seriously uncomfortable," said Scorpius crossly. "But yes, I do. I think she's stunning." He flopped down on a nearby seat.

Albus sighed and looked up at the stars that were starting to appear. "Let me give you a bit of insight into Rose," he said slowly. "She works twice as hard as everyone else to keep up her marks, because her mother is so clever and everyone expects her to be as smart as the great Hermione Granger-Weasley. Rose is the sensible one who takes care of the rest of the family, and I have to tell you, that's no picnic. She's given up Quidditch, which she loves, because she thinks people won't take her seriously, and she's honest, and caring, and the best friend I've ever had.

"The last thing, however, that Rose sees herself as is _attractive_, and I'm willing to bet she cannot understand for the life of her why a bloke like you – who could have anyone – would show an interest in her."

Scorpius was dumbfounded. "Why, in Merlin's name, doesn't she think she's pretty? Haven't any you ever told her that she is?"

"Yeah, all the time, but we're family so she thinks we're just being kind," said Albus. "You need to understand what it's like for her. Aunt Hermione puts more stock into brains than looks, and she's never really been into make-up and clothes and that sort of stuff... so neither is Rose. On top of that, Rose is the next-oldest female cousin to two part-Veelas – you remember Victoire and Dominique, don't you?"

Indeed he did, as did every other boy in the sixth and seventh years, usually in dreams of the more x-rated variety. Victoire Weasley had been in her last year of Hogwarts when he was in his first, but he clearly remembered her perfect fall of silver-blonde hair and alluring smile. Dominique Weasley, who was a redhead and a complete knockout, could vanquish male hearts with just a glance, yet Scorpius had always thought that using Veela blood for getting conquests was playing with an unfair advantage. Rose, who had softer, more _girl-next-door_ looks, was much more his type.

"So Rose looks at them, and she looks at herself, and she just doesn't rate herself in the attractiveness department at all," continued Albus. "On top of that, she's got Lily – who's not backwards in coming forwards when she likes someone – catching and discarding boyfriends left, right and centre. Can you see why Rose is the way she is, and why she might be nervous around someone like you?"

"Yeah, I can. But this isn't a one-time-only deal for me, Potter – I think she's amazing. She's smart and funny – and one of the few people who can hold her own against people like James, and that's just brilliant. I can't believe she hasn't had a boyfriend yet!"

"Only one – a Muggle she met on the summer hols in fifth year," said Albus, pushing his glasses up his nose. Scorpius struggled briefly with a searing flash of jealousy. "Nothing serious, bit of hand-holding and snogging, but then at the end of the holidays he went back to Ireland and that was that. She didn't seem too heart-broken about it, I must say. But you ..." and he observed Scorpius keenly, "I think she could get quite hung up on you, if she isn't already. And I think you could end up hurting her badly, considering her lack of self esteem."

"I've got no intention of hurting her," said Scorpius with as much dignity as he could muster. "If she ever gives me a hint that she's interested, that is."

Albus sighed and got to his feet. "You want to win her over?" he asked. "Shit, I can't believe I'm going to help you, but the tension between the two of you is ridiculous."

"Any hints would be helpful, yeah," said Scorpius cautiously.

"You need to get past her logical side, and make a grand, romantic gesture," said Albus. "But you need to mean it, Malfoy – if you're just playing with her I swear I will pound you into Thestral food with my bare hands."

Albus got up and started down the stairs. As he got to the bottom, he turned around.

'Oh, and one other thing," he called. "My sources tell me the Slytherin Keeper, Argyle, flew into his own goalposts yesterday afternoon and cracked three ribs on the right side. If you get your Chasers to aim for the hoops on his right, he's less likely to go for it because he's protecting his injury."

"Thanks," said Scorpius. "Er... why are you helping us?"

Albus shrugged. "If you beat the Slytherins in this game, it adds to the chances of them not being in the semi's or the finals," he said frankly. "But Malfoy – as I said, don't you dare hurt Rosie. Dumbledore himself wouldn't be able to save you if you do."

"Got it."

"And one last thing? Tell your mate Goldstein to stay away from Beth Macmillan – that one's mine. She just doesn't know it yet."

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><p>Saturday morning dawned crisp and clear. Autumn was on its way in, and the first cool breezes had begun to creep through the castles in the early mornings and evenings. Today's match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin was scheduled for 3 o'clock, to take advantage of one of the last afternoons of summer.<p>

Rose had slept heavily and woken late, thanks to some Dreamless Sleep potion Beth had given her. Beth was prone to getting the vapours around exams (usually due the fact that she never did enough revising), and her mum had given her some of the potion to ensure she at least got some rest during those times and didn't get a home as a gibbering mess.

On waking, Rose stretched, feeling refreshed. On the table next to her bed was a napkin containing two slices of toast with marmalade, an apple and a note.

_Thought you could use the sleep so I didn't wake you for breakfast. Scorpius was looking for you (and looking divine in Muggle jeans, I might add) and gave me a parcel for you. It's at the foot of the bed. See you later! ~ Beth_

Rose sat up quickly, and immediately spotted the brown paper parcel lying on her bed. She grabbed it and found a note attached to the outside, in Scorpius' elegant script.

_I hope I'm not assuming too much, but I'd like to think you'll be supporting Ravenclaw this afternoon! If I see you wearing one of these, I can win anything. Love, Scorpius._

Rose felt a thrill run down her spine, and she quickly ripped the package open. Inside was a Ravenclaw scarf and jumper – clearly belonging to Scorpius, as they both smelt deliciously of his earthy cologne. She gathered up the scarf and buried her nose in it, inhaling his scent. Rose put it around her neck, then read the note again. _Love, Scorpius._

Today was going to be absolutely fantastic.

She spent the morning in her room, going through some Potions notes, and then at lunchtime met up with Beth to go down to the Great Hall to get something to eat. She proudly wound the Ravenclaw scarf around her neck, hoping to spot Scorpius so that he would see her wearing it.

Her wish was granted when she arrived for lunch and found the Great Hall louder than usual. Things always got very excitable on match day, and today was no exception. Scorpius was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, surrounded by his team and supporters. Suddenly shy, Rose couldn't bring herself to go over to him, so she walked over to the Gryffindor table to sit with her friends.

After a few minutes, the Ravenclaw team stood to go and do warm-ups, and Rose looked up at Scorpius. His eyes searched the Gryffindor table, and when he saw her wearing his scarf, his face lit up. She beamed back at him and mouthed "good luck", to him, and then, feeling a little more daring, she blew him a kiss. He pretended to catch it and press it to his lips, and she felt herself go pink with delight. He gave her a small wave, and then was gone on a tide of blue and bronze.

Shortly afterwards, Albus and Beth suggested they head for the Quidditch pitch, to make sure they got good seats.

"OK, I'll meet you there – just need to stop at the girls bathrooms," said Rose, hopping over the bench. "See you now!"

She was just washing her hands in the bathroom when she heard whispering from outside.

"She's in there!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I just saw her go in alone."

Suddenly, three girls from the Gaggle, lead by Annie Fairweather, burst in, and Rose suddenly found herself on the business end of Annie's wand.

"What are you doing, Fairweather?" Rose demanded, trying to reach behind her to her back pocket to get her own wand. "I am a prefect – how dare you?"

Annie poked her wand under Rose's chin. "Don't move, Weasley, or I'll give you boils from here to kingdom come," the Hufflepuff girl sneered. "I just want to know – what potion did you use?"

"_What?_"

"What love potion, idiot? The one you've used to trap Malfoy! I know he'd never look at someone like you otherwise. Was it _Amortentia_?"

Rose was astounded. "I haven't used anything, you idiot! Scorpius and I are just friends!"

Fairweather laughed, the sound harsh and echoing. "Don't believe it. Not for a damn second, Weasley! He's hardly even spoke to you before, but now he's all over you and I'm going to find out why!"

Rose had had enough. Grabbing her own wand, she pushed her face into Fairweather's and spoke slowly and clearly. "Have you ever thought about how much you've intimidated him, by behaving the way you do around him? He hates it, Fairweather! All that giggling and whispering – he feels like a fool when you behave like that. And why would a guy want to date anyone who does that to him? Yes, we've become friends, and yes, it might turn into something more, but it's because I treat him normally, not the way you do. You should try it sometime."

She straightened up and glared at the speechless girl. Fairweather was staring at her, shocked, her mouth working, but no words were coming out.

"Now let me go, and I'll forget this ever happened," said Rose firmly, pushing past the girls, who parted to let her go. She was just breathing a sigh of relief when she heard a shriek of _"Petrificus Totalus!"_ from behind her, and her body fell stiffly to the floor, wand clutched and useless in her hand.

Fairweather stepped over her, eyes blazing, and turned Rose over. "You bitch," she spat. "You'll pay for saying that."

She fingered the Ravenclaw scarf. "Is this his? It is, isn't it? Well, it's mine now – and try and prove that it isn't." She grabbed the scarf from Rose's neck and wound it around her own.

"Enjoy the game, Weasley!" she sniggered, and then the three of them walked out of the bathroom laughing, leaving Rose Petrified on the cold stone floor.

Struggle as she might, Rose was helpless. Time ticked slowly past and she felt tears of frustration leaking out of her eyes. _Scorpius said he'd look for me, and I won't be there, _she railed silently. _What on earth is he going to think? _

Suddenly a voice spoke from above her. "Well, what have we here? It's the little Weasley girl, isn't it?"

And there, floating spectrally above her, was Moaning Myrtle. Rose stared pleadingly at her, trying to beg silently for help.

"Shouldn't you be at the game? I'd love to go, but I can't, you know," said Myrtle conversationally, settling on the top of the nearest stall and crossing her transparent legs.

Rose looked at her for a bit longer, then realised that she was fighting a losing battle and began to get really angry. They'd been practicing non-verbal incantations for some time in class, and Rose was on the brink of getting it right. _I've got to do this... I'm holding my wand, even though I can't feel it. Come on, Rose!_

Myrtle started prattling on and on about how _nice it was to have company_, and _why didn't she say anything_, when the dam of frustration and panic finally burst.

_FINITE INCANTATEM!_ she screamed in her mind, so hard she thought it might have actually popped a blood vessel in her temple. And to her complete amazement, the spell loosened and she went limp on the floor.

"Oooh, however did you manage that?" asked Myrtle curiously as Rose staggered to her feet, rage surging through her.

"Thanks for nothing, Myrtle," she snarled, before taking off at a full tilt run.

She headed down to the Quidditch pitch as fast as she could, and she could hear the roar of the crowd getting closer and closer.

"And we're at a tie, folks – 60 points each, and no sign of the Snitch!"

Rose went skidding into the stands, and stood still for a second, searching around. _There!_ she thought, seeing Annie Fairweather standing cheering with a group of friends. She pointed her wand directly at the Hufflepuff girl.

"_Accio Scorpius' scarf!" _she yelled, and it unravelled rapidly from Fairweather's throat, nearly strangling her, before sailing through the air where Rose caught it deftly with one hand. Annie turned around, grasping her neck where a vivid fabric burn was starting to appear, and stared uncomprehendingly at Rose.

Rose touched her wand to her throat and spoke in a whisper while maintaining eye contact with the shocked girl. "That's fifty points off Hufflepuff for attacking a prefect, Fairweather," she whispered, knowing that it would carry directly – and only- to Annie's ear. "And if you come near me or Scorpius again, I promise I will have you in detention every Friday night for the rest of the year, shovelling Hippogryff manure from the paddocks. Are we clear?"

Shocked, Annie simply nodded and sat down with a thump. Rose looked towards the Gryffindor section, where she quickly spotted Albus and Beth. She negotiated her way through the cheering crowds, as the commentator announced another goal for Ravenclaw. Finally she made it over to her friends, and sat down with relief.

"Where on earth have you been, Rosie?" said Albus, not taking his eyes off the action on the pitch. "That was a long bathroom visit."

"Tell you later," muttered Rose, not keen to share her humiliation. "How are things going?"

"Better now – the Ravenclaw Chasers are working together and – yes! Another goal!" shouted Albus, nearly deafening her.

"I think Scorpius has been looking for you – he keeps checking over here," said Beth in a low voice. "See – he's doing it again!"

Rose looked around the pitch for Scorpius, and spotted him on the other side, where he was being tailed closely by the Slytherin Seeker. He did seem to be scanning the Gryffindor section, and when he saw her he smiled broadly and gave her a thumbs up. Not caring who was watching, Rose leapt to her feet and waved back wildly, taking off the Ravenclaw scarf and flapping it around her head.

It wasn't twenty minutes later when the action started heating up. The Ravenclaws had scored twice more ("Yes! Scorpius obviously passed on my intel," said Albus smugly) and the Slytherins were getting frustrated and resorting to some dirty play that saw one of their Beaters being sent off. An argument erupted between Mark Goldstein and Silas Greengrass (who was indeed looking stripey – James had obviously done his worst), and it looked to be heading towards fisticuffs when the commentator shrieked: "Yes! And Malfoy has spotted the Snitch!"

Her heart in her mouth, Rose leapt to her feet along with the rest of the crowd as Scorpius performed a steep dive, heading straight towards the Slytherin goalposts. The Keeper, Argyle, gaped in horror as Scorpius bulleted straight towards him, the Slytherin Keeper hot on his tail. Performing a complicated twist and roll manoeuvre, Scorpius shot straight through the centre hoop, grabbing the Snitch from where it had been hiding close to Argyle's shoulder. To the roar of the crowd, he raised his hand in triumph, holding aloft the small golden ball.

Screaming in delight, Rose turned to hug Beth, and was a bit surprised when her friend pushed her away. "Look, Rose, look!"

Scorpius was flying towards her, grinning broadly. He stopped to hover right in front of her. "For you, my lady," he shouted over the noise. "You're my good luck charm, so I want you to have this."

He pressed his lips to the Snitch, and then held it out to her, and damn it if he wasn't blushing as hard as a Weasley.

Openmouthed, Rose took the Snitch from his hand, while every girl around her chorused: "Awww!" She couldn't tear her eyes away from his, and he looked into hers so intensely that she almost melted right in front of him.

"You're coming to the party tonight at the Ravenclaw common-room, right?" Scorpius yelled. "You too, Potter, and Beth? Be at the entrance at seven – I'll let you in!" And with that, he gave Rose another beaming smile, and then soared away to join the melee in the centre of the pitch where his team was already wildly celebrating.

Rose watched him go, speechless, and then looked down at the tiny Snitch she held in her hand. And she might have been wrong, but she could have sworn she heard Albus mutter "nice one, Malfoy", but when she looked at him he was simply watching the Ravenclaws tear around the stadium, a small smile on his lips. Sometimes, that boy was like a Sphinx.

Beth hugged her around the shoulders. "So now do you believe me that he's interested?" she said into her ear. Rose stared at her, and nodded dumbly. "Right, it's back to Gryffindor tower with you. We've got some work to do on you for tonight!"


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks once again to everyone who reviewed or favourited this story! You guys are the best._

_One more chapter to go! ~ Louisam_

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><p>This was turning into one of the best days of his life, Scorpius decided as he looked around the Ravenclaw common-room at the happy chaos that surrounded him. There was nothing like winning at Quidditch, absolutely nothing in the world that gave you that high.<p>

Except, of course, seeing Rose, which these days was giving him as much of a thrill as soaring through the sky at top speed on a broom. When he hadn't seen her at the Quidditch match that afternoon, he'd been a bit rattled, wondering where she had gotten to, and his concentration had been off for a while as he kept checking the stands for her. When he eventually saw her, waving at him and wearing his scarf, his heart had lifted and he'd gotten his confidence back.

However, the "grand romantic gesture" of handing her the Snitch had required almost more courage than he could muster, and for a second there he'd nearly backed out. But seeing the radiant smile on her face had made it all worth it, although he'd had to thump Mark for calling him 'Romeo' Malfoy, whatever that meant. He was pretty sure it wasn't a compliment.

Scorpius glanced at his watch, seeing that it was nearly seven, and started to move towards the portrait hole so he could meet Rose and her friends to let them in. He figured that Albus deserved an invitation, because it was his tip about Argyle that had allowed his Chasers to put extra points on the board, and then he added Beth because if Potter was after her, this might be the time, and he owed him one.

The portrait hole suddenly opened as a pair of Ravenclaws made their way out, and in walked Potter, Beth and ... Rose. Scorpius's jaw dropped and his vision darkened down to a tunnel that revealed only her at the end of it. Not only did she look prettier than ever, with her red, curly hair loose and swept in a side parting, her blue eyes enormous with a slight lick of mascara and her pink lips glossy, but she was wearing... Scorpius swallowed hard... a pair of jeans showing off endless legs, his Ravenclaw jersey, with – by the looks of it – not much underneath.

The jumper was far too big for her, and the point of the v-neck dropped deliciously low between her breasts, and he found himself gaping at the hint of creamy cleavage it exposed. She'd rolled the sleeves up to her elbows, and the neckline kept slipping slightly off her shoulder, exposing a glimpse of lacy black bra strap and an expanse of pale, lightly freckled skin. He had never in his life seen anything so sexy, and for a second he was paralysed into place.

"Bugger me," muttered Mark, who was leering at Rose. "I knew Weasley was attractive, but damn, she is the finest thing in the room right now."

Scorpius ignored this pearl of wisdom and stepped over a lurking footstool to head towards the group of Gryffindors. Somewhere between that point and his arrival in front of Rose, Albus turned to shake hands with Andrew Boot and Beth was laughing with Jennifer Corner, so he found himself standing before Rose alone.

"Er... hi there," he said nervously. He twisted his hands together; he could feel them shaking and he didn't want her to notice.

Rose smiled so beautifully at him his heart turned in his chest. "Oh, Scorpius – congratulations! That was a brilliant match today!" she said, and threw her arms around his neck. He scooped her into his arms, and felt fantastic softness pressing against him in all the right places – _I keep forgetting how tall she is ... the top of her head almost reaches my nose_ – and inhaled her intoxicating vanilla scent. She hugged him for a fraction longer than was just friendly, and pulled away slightly to look up into his eyes. The world seemed to shrink down to just the two of them.

"And thank you for my present – that's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"You're welcome," he choked out, and for a second considered kissing her, but then remembered that they were in the middle of a rowdy crowd when a cheer erupted from the other side of the room where a group was playing Butterbeer Pong. He let her go reluctantly, and she stepped back, looking a little disappointed.

"Oi, Weasley – you're so hot you should come with a warning label," shouted Mark from across the room. Rose went bright red, but started laughing.

"He's subtle, isn't he?" she giggled.

"As a sledgehammer. Just ignore him... although he's absolutely right," said Scorpius honestly, watching for her reaction out of the corner of his eye. "You look fantastic."

"Too much?" she smiled, fingering the sleeve of the jersey, and leaning against him. _She's actually flirting with me!_

"Not at all," he said, taking the plunge and sliding an arm around her. "In fact..."

"In fact, I think that's Scorpius's jumper, and you need to return it, Miss Gryffindor," said Mark, arriving on the scene with bottles of Butterbeer and handing them around. "Right now, I reckon – we can only take inter-house unity so far!" He winked at her, and she regarded him levelly over the neck of the bottle after taking a sip.

"Right _now_?" she queried, raising one eyebrow and smiling innocently at him. "Well, if you insist..."

She passed the bottle back to Mark and made as if to grasp the bottom of the jersey to pull it over her head, but Scorpius was too quick for her. Stepping behind her and sliding his arms around her waist, he grabbed both her hands and laced his fingers through them, holding them in place and pulling her body flush back against his.

"Not a chance," he growled possessively.

Mark burst out laughing. "For your eyes only, Scorpius?"

Scorpius felt Rose's body relax against his, and her fingers grip his own as she pulled his arms tighter around her. "You're damn right – now sod off and find a girl of your own," he suggested, frowning.

Mark, who had a hide as thick as a rhinoceros, took this with a shrug and a laugh, and wandered off, saying "you can thank me later, mate," as he headed towards Beth.

Realising what he'd just suggested, Scorpius felt himself go red-hot with embarrassment and held Rose with her back against him so she couldn't see. "Uh, Rose... you know I didn't mean... you're not my property, I just..."

Rose just laughed and turned in the circle of his arms, slipping her arms around his waist. "It's OK, Scorpius ... I know what you meant," she said, and then leaned up to whisper in his ear. "I wouldn't have a problem with it if you did mean it that way, you know."

Goosebumps erupted across his neck and he gazed down at her, almost drowning in the intensity of her eyes. "Do you want to get out of here?" he said suddenly, desperate to get her alone. "We can go to the Room – I don't want to be with anyone else tonight, just you."

"But you're the star of the show – you can't leave your own party now... can you?" Rose sounded hopeful.

"I can see this lot any time," said Scorpius firmly, only letting go of her to take her hand. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>As Scorpius led her out of the Ravenclaw common-room, Rose could feel butterflies churning in her stomach and she clutched at his hand fervently. Her heart was beating so fast that all she could hear was her own pulse, roaring in her ears. <em>He does like me ... more than that, he WANTS me<em>, she thought, unable to stop herself from smiling. Although she wasn't experienced with boys, the look in his eyes when he'd seen her arrive at the party was unmistakable – pure desire. And the jealousy and protectiveness he'd displayed when Mark was teasing her had taken her breath right away.

She hadn't been sure about wearing just the Ravenclaw jumper with her jeans, but Beth had persuaded her that if she wanted to nudge things in the right direction, this would definitely do it. And Albus's comment ("Planning to get snogged tonight, Rosie?") had earned him both a punch on the arm and a laugh, because that was exactly what she had in mind.

They were only a few steps away from the common-room, heading towards the stairs that would take them to the seventh floor, when Scorpius hesitated. "Rose, I... " he began, and she panicked.

_Oh no, he's starting to rethink this!_ she thought frantically. "Do you want to go back?"

"God, no!" said Scorpius, startled. "I just... I just wanted to say that if _you_ don't want to leave, we don't have to – I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you to come with me, or ... " With that, he ran out of words and just stood there, holding her hand and staring down at her.

"You're not," Rose said softly, turning to face him. "I want to be alone with you too." And using every ounce of Gryffindor courage she had, she wove her arms around her neck, and moved her mouth slowly towards his.

Scorpius met her halfway with alacrity, and the second their lips met she felt a sizzle of electricity run down her spine. The kiss was soft, exploratory, and set her nerve endings on fire. She ran her fingers up the back of his neck and let them tangle in his hair, and she felt goosebumps erupt on his neck. And then the kiss wasn't so gentle anymore – he slanted his mouth firmly against hers and she felt his tongue flick out against her lower lip. Opening her mouth to touch her tongue against his, she felt him pull her more fully against him and warmth pooled in her lower abdomen.

Too soon, Scorpius pulled away, breathing deeply, and leaned his forehead against hers. "Let's go – I want you all to myself," he whispered, and with another quick, burning kiss he turned, slipping his arm around her waist, and led her away.

As it turned out, they couldn't make it to the Room of Requirement without more snogging. They kissed in the stairwell on the way down to the seventh floor. They kissed behind a suit of armour next to the Charms classroom. They kissed in the alcove next to the Library, and once again at the entrance to the corridor where the Room was situated. By that stage, Rose was flushed pink and literally couldn't wait to get Scorpius alone. He seemed to feel exactly the same way, for he had initiated at least half of the snogging and was getting a case of seriously wandering hands.

After walking backwards and forwards three times (with a quick kiss at each end), the door to the Room appeared and Rose grasped the handle. Scorpius pulled her back.

"What is it?" she asked, feeling nervous again. "Oh – you don't want to go in."

"No, I really do, but I just want you to be aware that the Room might not look the same as last time – you've been distracting me so much I wasn't concentrating on studying," said Scorpius, not meeting her eye. "Who knows what it's come up with."

"So, like a bed, or something?" Rose giggled at his discomfiture.

Scorpius went red. "Or something," he agreed, corners of his mouth twitching.

She raised one eyebrow. "Well, let's see, shall we?" Teasingly, she slowly opened the door and peered around the edge.

"Well?" asked Scorpius, who had his hand over his eyes.

"You naughty boy, Scorpius – there are red satin sheets on a big circular bed, and ... oh my God, are those _massage oils?_"

"No way!" He pushed the door wide open, appalled, and was met with the sight of their normal study room, complete with roaring fire.

Rose couldn't contain her mirth any longer and burst out laughing. "Got you!" she chortled.

He stared at her with his mouth open. "You really are related to James and Fred, aren't you? So, so evil."

"Oh, you have no idea."

"Clearly not, but I fully intend to find out." And with that, he hoisted her in a fireman's lift over his shoulder and carried her kicking and shrieking with laughter into the room. He kicked the door shut behind him, and then strode over to the couch where he dumped her unceremoniously on her back.

Giggling, Rose looked up at him as he stood laughing over her, his teeth very white in the dim light. His blond hair was messy and falling over his eyes, and dressed in jeans and a plain black T-shirt, his shoulders looked very broad. _Merlin... what is a gorgeous boy like this doing with someone like me?_ she thought, suddenly feeling insecure. But those thoughts were swept away when he sat down next to her, and his eyes flicked downwards to a strip of pale skin on her stomach that had been exposed where the Ravenclaw sweater had ridden up. Scorpius looked steadily at her, and that look of desire she'd seen when he first saw her in his jumper was back in his eyes.

He slowly leaned in to brush his mouth against hers. Sighing in satisfaction, Rose put her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer, and he responded enthusiastically while stretching out next to her on the couch. As his mouth explored hers, Rose's mind went blank of everything but him. He tasted of Butterbeer, and the scent of his earthy cologne filled her senses. Wanting to feel Scorpius even closer, she slid a little further down the couch and rolled him until he was lying half on top of her.

He groaned in appreciation, and left her mouth to trail warm kisses down her jaw and onto her neck. Rose gasped as he sucked a sensitive point at the junction of her throat and collarbone, and couldn't help it when her hips moved instinctively against him because of the sensation his kiss had produced. Scorpius groaned again, deeper this time, and his hand trailed to where the soft skin of her abdomen was exposed. As he slid his fingers along it, Rose returned the favour by slipping her own hands under the hem of his t-shirt and caressing his lower back. And exactly as she had imagined it, his skin was taut and warm, and she could feel the play of the muscles as he moved. Unable to help herself, she traced the deep path of his spine further up his back, caressing the hard ridges of muscle on either side.

Scorpius shifted over slightly until he was lying completely on top of her and went back to kissing her mouth, and now she could clearly feel the evidence of his arousal as it pressed firmly against her inner thigh. Feeling utterly desirable and very turned on, Rose kissed him back hard, sucking at his lower lip and tangling her tongue with this. She kicked off her flat black pumps, then bent her right knee and slowly dragged her instep up against his calf, feeling his sharp intake of breath as his chest hitched against hers. In the back of her mind, a small voice that sounded suspiciously like her mother's was telling her to slow down, this was moving too quickly, but she tamped it down.

Suddenly, Scorpius broke off kissing her and pulled back slightly to look at her.

"Is everything OK?" she whispered, worried that she'd done something wrong, or worse, that she was a terrible kisser.

"It's perfect... like you," he whispered back, looking into her eyes intently. "You're beautiful, Rose. I'm so lucky."

"You're sweet ... but you don't have to say that, I know I'm not..." she trailed off as he put one hand gently over her mouth.

"You _are_, you're gorgeous," Scorpius insisted gently. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I haven't been able to get you out of my head since our first night here."

"Me either, but I thought you only wanted to be friends."

Scorpius snorted and pushed himself up a bit on his arms so he could look at her. "You wouldn't say that if you knew the terrible things I've been wanting to do to you. Anyway, I thought _you_ just wanted to be friends too."

Rose reached up to brush the hair from his eyes. "So it looks like we've had a bit of a misunderstanding," she said, grinning. "We've wasted the last few days – let's not waste any more time, yeah?"


	7. Chapter 7

_Well, this is it, folks - the final chapter! I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it. Once again, thank you to all my lovely reviewers, and to everyone who favourited/alerted this story - you made it all worthwhile!_

_Hugs ~ Louisam_

* * *

><p>Scorpius was in heaven. Rose, it seemed, was as passionate about snogging him as she was at getting top marks in class. He kissed his way down her neck again, but this time he didn't stop at her collarbone, continuing down to her chest where he found himself foiled by his own jumper. Frustrated, he tugged at the neckline, pulling it further down her shoulder and exposing an inch of lacy black bra. Unbidden, his hand started to wander up under the jumper, caressing her silky skin as it headed northwards.<p>

Rose was quite busy herself. Her hands were sliding up and down his back, and when she scratched him lightly it sent lightning bolts down his spine. Her mouth left his to nibble at his earlobe, and he couldn't suppress the moan that escaped him. His hand slid further up her ribcage, and he caressed the underside of her lace-covered breast with this thumb. Rose sighed into his mouth and arched up into him, and his mind went blissfully blank for a moment.

_Hang on, that's not me blanking out – is the light whiter?_ Scorpius opened his eyes to find the room flickering around him. The sofa underneath them seemed to be fading, becoming insubstantial, and in that second he realised they were going to hit the ground. He twisted Rose on top of him just as the sofa disappeared, and they landed on the floor in a tangle of limbs, the air driven out of him with Rose's weight.

"What the..." gasped Rose, rolling off him and getting to her knees as she looked around her in puzzlement. Their lovely, cosy room was gone, replaced by a stark white circular room. No fireplace, no wooden floor, no bookshelves – and definitely no comfy sofa. Just white walls, ceiling and floor, a bright white light, and ... a yellow, flashing sign above the door that read EXIT.

Scorpius sat up with a groan, rubbing the back of his head which had met solid ground with a thump.

"Oh crap, Scorpius, are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine – just confused. What the hell happened?"

"I don't know... things seemed fine until..." and Rose blushed, clearly remembering what had happened between them just before everything disappeared.

Scorpius got to his feet and held out his hand to her to help her out. Together, they stared around, mystified.

"I wonder ," said Rose thoughtfully, "if the Room hasn't got a PG rating on it."

And the walls flickered again, and there was a ghost image of bookshelves and a hint of red firelight, and then it was gone.

"Yeah, you might be right," said Scorpius, holding on to her hand and looking around. "I mean, if the Founders made sure that boys can't get into the girls dormitories by turning their staircases into slides, I suppose they thought of this too. They would have guessed that students might try to use this for, er..."

"...less innocent purposes," finished Rose, starting to laugh. "Wow – that is so clever."

"But inconvenient," grumbled Scorpius. "What – is that it? No more study sessions for us in here?"

"I think maybe if we keep it for studying ... and maybe a bit of light snogging, it didn't seem to mind that... we should be OK," suggested Rose. "What about it, Room? What if we promise to be good?"

This time, the walls almost returned to their former selves, with clear outlines of the books on the shelves, and the sofa almost solid enough to touch, before returning to a blank canvas.

"We promise, OK?" Scorpius said loudly, letting go of Rose and turning around with his arms held out. "We'll behave ourselves... in here." He winked at Rose.

There was a moment of pressure on his eardrums, like descending on a broomstick too fast, and then the room reformed as their study place. Scorpius let out a sigh of relief and pulled Rose into a hug.

"So," she breathed in his ear, making all the hairs on his arms stand up," it seems we can do this..." she brushed her lips against his; "and this..." and she kissed him more deeply, sucking his tongue into her mouth. He lost track of all thought for a minute.

"But not this," whispered Scorpius, running his hands up her back under the jumper while he kissed her neck, and the Room flickered ominously like a distant rumble of thunder.

"OK, OK, I get it," grumbled Scorpius, putting his hands demurely on Rose's waist over her clothes. "Keep your hair on."

He leaned his forehead against hers. "Maybe this is a good thing," he said softly. "I don't want us to go too fast – you're special to me, I don't want to ruin this."

Rose smiled at him and wound her arms around his waist. "Me either, and just imagine all the fun we'll have finding other places," she said wickedly. "Especially ones where my family can't find us."

"Oh, God. I'm square with Albus, but am I going to get thumped by all the others?"

"What do you mean, you're square with Albus?"

"He kind of gave me the big brother talk yesterday."

Rose started laughing. "Really? He tried to do that for Lily once and she hexed the crap out of him." She snuggled her head under his chin. "Don't worry – they're more scared of me than they are of him – I'll sort it out."

They spent the next few hours on the sofa, talking and kissing softly, never pushing the Room's limitations too far. Eventually, Rose stood and held out her hand to him. "This has been wonderful, but I don't want to spoil the night by being out after curfew and getting detention," she said. "We'd better be getting back."

Scorpius heaved a regretful sigh as he got to his feet, and took her hand as they left the Room. The walk to Gryffindor Tower seemed too short – he wanted to hold onto her all night. She turned to face him when they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, and slid her arms around him as she leaned her cheek against his shoulder. He held her tight to him, and as she turned her face up for a kiss, an irritable voice broke through.

"All right, you two, that's enough. Drop him, Miss Weasley, or I shall report you to Professor Longbottom," said the Fat Lady sternly. "And off you go, blondie, back to whichever House you're from. It's nearly curfew."

"But..." protested Rose.

"But nothing. Bloody students, waking me up all hours of the night to get in, and then expecting me to hang around, watching disgraceful displays of public affection. Off with you, boy! " complained the portrait.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Sorry, she's obviously been at the mead with her friends and has a hangover again," she whispered to Scorpius. "She does blab to Uncle Neville though – you'd better go."

Ignoring the increasing volume of the grumbling portrait, Scorpius pulled Rose towards him and kissed her deeply. "See you tomorrow," he said, before releasing her and walking backwards to watch her as he went. He saw her give the password, and as the entrance of the Tower opened, she went inside, throwing him a dazzling smile as she went.

Scorpius finally turned and walked off, hands in his pockets, and whistling under his breath. Hands down, the best night of his life. Now, he just needed to deal with his father, and prepare himself to handle a horde of Weasleys and Potters.

* * *

><p>Rose wandered into the common-room, resisting the urge to twirl around deliriously. The room seemed deserted, as it was almost curfew and most of the students would be in bed already. Moving quietly towards the staircase to the dorm, she was distracted by movement and a soft murmur from a dark corner, which contained a large armchair partially turned towards the window. Guessing there was a couple back there that didn't want to be interrupted, she tiptoed towards the door, and then, curiosity getting the better of her, she glanced back.<p>

There, entwined in the depths of the chair, were Beth and Albus. Snogging, like their lives depended on it.

Rose nearly dropped her wand in shock. She really hadn't seen that one coming – she thought Beth liked Mark Goldstein, and they certainly had been flirting up a storm recently. Frozen to the spot, she finally averted her eyes when she saw Beth shift to climb on Albus's lap, and she fled up the stairs. Oh yes, those two would have some explaining to do in the morning.

Once in her room, she thought of something important. There was no way she was going to be able to hide her relationship with Scorpius, because the chances of being able to keep her hands off him in public were zero to nil. Her cousins, not known for their discretion, would be all over this by lunchtime tomorrow. So, it was time to do the inevitable.

She took out some parchment and a quill, and got to work.

_Dear Mum and Dad_

_Before you panic, there's nothing wrong – everything is fine. I just have some news for you, and I'd rather it came from me than from anyone else (and by that, I mean one of my lovely cousins, who seem to stalk me every waking hour and would love to be able to tell you this first)._

_Remember when I was younger, you told me that the reason you fought in the War (apart from getting rid of Voldemort, obviously) was so that we could live our lives free of prejudice? Well, I think I'm about to find out if you meant that ... and if it applies to purebloods too, not just Muggleborns._

_Mum, you might want to make Dad sit down. NOW._

_You see, I've started dating Scorpius Malfoy, and before you send a Howler, I'd like you to meet him and judge for yourselves. Scorpius might _look_ like his father, but I think he's actually nothing like him at all. He's not even in Slytherin - he's a Ravenclaw. Even Albus and James like him, and you know they're both tough nuts to crack. _

_Just think, we might be able to mend some bridges with this – maybe we can invite the Malfoys over for Christmas dinner?_

_Dad, if you're hyperventilating at this point, a good shot of Firewhiskey might sort you out._

_Love you both, _

_Rosie_


End file.
